Displaced Palestinians shelter in a school managed by UNRWA in Gaza
United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk on Tuesday said Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which seeks to deprive residents of essential goods such as food, water and fuel, is banned under international law.
A day earlier, Israel imposed a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, banning the entry of electricity, water, food, and fuel, as it continued air raids that have indiscriminately targeted civilian facilities, including hospitals and apartment complexes. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had already struck 1,707 targets in Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’ assault over the weekend. He also warned that the Israeli response would “reverberate for generations,” raising fears of a ground assault after Israel called up 300,000 reservists.
In his statement, the U.N.’s Turk said people’s dignity and lives must be respected, as he called for all sides to defuse the “explosive powder-keg situation.” Stressing that international humanitarian law was clear, he said “the obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects remains applicable throughout the attacks.”
He further noted that Israel’s announced siege risked compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of increasing numbers of injured. “The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” he reiterated, adding any restrictions on the movement of people and goods to implement a siege must be justified by military necessity or might otherwise amount to collective punishment.
Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said some 137,000 people were taking shelter with UNRWA, the U.N. agency that provides essential services to Palestinians.